Ford is a well-known automaker that has been around since 1900. The auto company also has a reputation for being sued by many thousands of people due to asbestos exposure caused by his car parts. Their asbestos-laden clutch, brake and lining parts were known to cause mesothelioma cancer and lung disease between the early 1900s and the mid-1980s. While some Fords contained asbestos-based parts until 1990, and replacements for those parts were on the market until 2000, most new vehicles produced after the mid-1980s did not use asbestos-containing materials. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The asbestos lining used in Ford's brake and clutch product lines consisted of a high volume of carcinogenic fibers that, when inhaled into the lungs or absorbed through the skin, caused devastating mesotheliomas that often claimed the lives of mechanics and others. Removing and replacing these materials in automobiles puts brake repair workers at high risk. Many mechanics were exposed over many decades while working on Fords and other types of vehicles to causing cancer, which sometimes led injured people to sue. more producers for the exposure that led to their ailments. Others who worked only for one dealership were more easily able to demonstrate that their exposure risks were solely the result of working with a particular type of product. Surviving spouses filed myriad lawsuits against Ford after their husbands died of mesothelioma as a result. of their line of work. Because workers were not warned of the carcinogenic risks they faced on every job, people who filed lawsuits and could prove that their injuries were the direct result of asbestos exposure often received large verdicts and millions in compensation. dollars. According to a report by the Center for Public Integrity in 2016, a 1971 Ford memo shows that the company was aware of the need to find an alternative way to coat its brakes that would not put them at risk of asbestos lawsuits. Although the company had doubts that the asbestos dust would cause the mechanics the degree of asbestosis that eventually occurred, it concluded that it would be cheaper to defend any lawsuits when they arose, rather than spend extra money to use a type alternative coating. at that time. Other documents from the 1960s include corporate reports from the company's industrial hygienists who concluded that the carcinogenic materials did not cause a significant risk of death. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom Essay Although it is now known that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure and that mesotheliomas can take up to 50 years to diagnose, it was not uncommon for manufacturers who used asbestos-laden materials to believe that they would save money by continuing to use deadly materials for as long as possible. This type of decision placed many mechanics and others at unnecessary risk of debilitating diseases that often led to death.